Page 55 of Blind Luck

True, she was. I’d seen the fatigue in her yesterday.

“So, where’s she going? Somewhere nice?”

“She doesn’t know that part yet.”

“How does that work? Did you blindfold her and stuff her into a helicopter?”

“Oh, no, she’s on a regular commercial flight. She thinks she’s going to meet Echo in Florida, except Echo came up with a new plan—which between you and me, I’m not sure I totally agree with because Jez is gonna lose her shit—and no one argues with Echo.”

“Let me guess… She’s going to the Caribbean?”

Putting Jerry on a collision course with her ex was exactly the type of stunt Alexa would pull. She was single-minded in her approach to life, and if she’d decided that Jerry had made a mistake in dumping Cole, then she’d smash them together again.

The trouble was, I couldn’t see a happy ending.

Dusk grimaced. “Either she’s going to San Gallicano with Cole, or she’s going on a murder spree. I was thinking that maybe I could hang out here this morning in case she comes back. Oh, and Echo will be incommunicado for a while. She’s travelling too.”

“And where isshegoing?”

“As far away from Florida as she can get.”

“You truly think Jerry would hurt her?”

“Like put a bullet through her head? No. But Jez would put a bullet through Echo’s computer, and for Echo, that’s almost as bad.”

“Doesn’t she keep backups?”

“Backups of backups of backups, but she’s still unnaturally attached. You ever have a pet dog? Echo has a pet laptop. Which is just as well because she’s terrified of dogs. If Saint goes in the same room, she freaks out.”

“Saint?”

“Sin’s Malinois.” A Malinois? Okay, I could understand why Alexa might be nervous. They were like furry missiles. “Anyhow, Jez and Echo are gone, but you have Sin and me at your disposal, provided nothing more important comes up. You know—bombing, gassing, a little light execution.” She caught my look of horror and shoulder-bumped me. “Relax, I’m kidding.”

I was pretty sure she wasn’t kidding.

“Well, I’m waiting on Alexa to finish gallivanting around the dark web, and my financial analyst is still reviewing the Galaxy’s accounting system.”

“Okay, so in the meantime, why don’t we get breakfast?”

“You really don’t want to go back home, do you?”

“I think it’s better to wait for the dust to settle.”

We stayed at the Galaxy for breakfast because Dusk said it was the absolute last place Jerry would go. The Library was empty apart from one guy eating alone by the door and a bored-looking host-slash-bartender, plus the staff would serve a platter of pastries with endless cups of coffee so we could continue our caffeine fix. I’d settledup with Kina yesterday. She seemed disappointed that the job hadn’t lasted longer, but I’d added a nice tip to the final amount, and she offered her services in the future if a similar project came up.

“We can probably relax for now,” Dusk said. “If Ace follows the pattern, the next attack—message, whatever—will come in two weeks. There’s no ad on Amber Road yet, so either he hasn’t gotten around to posting it, or he’s planning to do the job himself. It might not be a ‘he,’ of course. It could be a woman.”

“Because women are just as dangerous, huh?”

“Exactly.”

“How did you get into this job? I’ll understand if you can’t tell me, but I’ve been curious how women like Jerry and Alexa ended up doing what they do.”

Dusk shrugged. “Joined the Army, surprised myself by actually enjoying it, and then got headhunted.”

“Why would you join the Army if you didn’t think you’d like it?”

“Because my father was an asshole.” She sighed. “An asshole, a misogynist, and a patriotic American.”

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